Monterey >> For the first time, this year’s annual Wild and Scenic Film Festival is expanding its world tour on the Central Coast to showcase its wilderness films in both Santa Cruz and Monterey.

The event, which is sponsored by the Ventana Wilderness Alliance and is in its sixth year, will be holding film screenings on topics ranging from the Big Sur back country to the migration of raptors at the Golden State Theatre in Monterey on Saturday. An additional program full of screenings will take place Thursday at the Del Mar Theatre in Santa Cruz. In previous years, the screenings have only been held in one location.

This year’s theme titled “Groundswell” features carefully selected films designed to motivate viewers to get outside, give back and to honor nature.

“We tried Santa Cruz but all of our work is in the Big Sur back country so we said ‘We have to go to Monterey County,’” explained VWA Executive Director Mike Splain about the fourth time that festival organizers are using the Golden State Theatre as a venue. Local sponsors of the event include the Alvarado Street Brewery and REI. Outdoor clothing brand Patagonia is also a sponsor.

Founded in 1998, the Ventana Wilderness Alliance is a non-profit dedicated to protecting the wildlands of California’s Santa Lucia mountain range. While last year about 900 attended the event in Monterey, Splain said this time around 1,000 attendees are expected.

Splain noted that while the organization’s work is in the Los Padres National Forest, most people aren’t aware that it includes the Monterey Ranger District, which encompasses over 300,000 acres.

“So it’s very cool that we all own it but it’s sad that the Fire Service is barely funded to do anything but fight fires these days so a lot of our work is teaching people to take care of it,” said Splain. “A lot of our festival attendees are already our members but the real nice part is that we get to preach outside the choir because they don’t even know about our precious national heritage that is not being managed right and we need their help.”

This year’s festival happens to coincide with two milestones – the 50th anniversary of the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act and the National Public Lands Day.

“For us, that day traditionally marks the beginning of our field season,” said Splain.

The money raised from the festival will go to benefit programs the Ventana Wilderness Alliance sponsors.

“We raise about $30,000 and it goes to our field and trail programs,” said Splain, noting in particular the organization’s youth programs that help youngsters explore the wilderness.

“The real value I think is the platform and the inspiration we can bring to members of the community so that we can hopefully get them to roll up their sleeves and get involved. That’s why we call it a ‘friend-raiser’ rather than a ‘fund-raiser’.”

This year’s films include “Sky Migrations,” which features filmmaker Charles Post as he focuses on a network of back country scientists and sentinels at the front lines of raptor conservation. There’s also “Return from Desolation” about a veteran who comes out of Iraq with post traumatic stress disorder and eventually finds solace and his way out of despair from his time spent in the rugged section of the Green River

“We feel that is a powerful message, especially with such a strong military presence in Monterey,” said Splain.

For more information and a complete listing of films go to www.ventanawild.org Information is also available at the Ventana Wilderness Alliance Meetup website page.